Adjustable form clamp



Aug. 19, 1930.

' c. H. WEEMS tr m.

ADJUSTABLE FORM CLAMP Filed Dec. 16, 1929 Patented Aug. 19, 1930 narra e stares CHARLES H. WEEMS AND ALONZO MILTON, OF FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT ADJUSTABLE some cLAMr Application filed December 16. .1929. Serial No. 414,403.

This invention relates to adjustable form clamps especially adapted for concrete construction work, and more particularly for columns, and has for an object to provide a a clamp that may be quickly and easily fitted in place and removed without the use of any tools such as wrenches or manipulating screws or bolts, andwhich may be tightened in place or removed with anything that can I be used to strike a blowsuch as a hammer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tightening means forthe clamp which will simultaneously press the clamp against the form as it is actuated.

A still further object of this invention is to provide'a clamp in which no finishing operations are required and in which the cost of manufacture is thus reduced to a minimum. Still another object is to provide a clamp 29 of this type which can be applied and removed with a'minimum expenditure of time and effort.

Another object is to provide a clamp for concrete forms which automatically adjusts 25 itself for'variations in the dimensions of the form.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprises certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as set forth, disclosed and'claimed in the following specification considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of this invention in operative position.

2 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of one. set of elements forming'the clamp.

Fig. a is a section on lin'e44 of Fig. 3,

46 showing the tighteningmeans.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of themeans of Fig. 4 looking from the left of this figure. I Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3, showing the sliding connection between the arms of each pair of elements. I v 1 Fig. 7 is an end view looking'in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of Fig. 3, and 7 Fig.8 is a bottom plan view or the angular corner of one of the female members. The clamp constituting this-invention" inber ofsides, there being oneadditional pair of members supplied for each additional pair. of'sides. I

Each pair of angular members or bars comprises a female bar 11' and a malebar 12. The female bar 11 has a corner or angle 13 which may be reinforced by a rib 1 i integral there- I with and two arms 15 extending at right angles to each other. Each arm 15 has a depending hooked flange 16 extending along the underside as far as the connecting angle 13, i

and at the end of each arm 15 an open eye or hook 18 is formed as shown. This bar 11 ,and certain other parts may be made of any suitable material, preferably malleable iron as it has the requisite strength and is not easily broken, and they are so made as to require no finishing operations and so the cost of manufact-ure is reduced to a minimum. -As will be apparent from theabove description: and the drawing, the female bar 11 may be cast as a single integral unit. c

The male bar 12 comprises a corner or angle block 20,1 also preferably of malleable iron to which has been secured as by rivets 21 a pair of arms 22 ofappropriate length, de-

pending .on the size of column being constructed, the arms 22 being made of structural steel or ironangle bars of the proper width and thickness that they be slidably received within the hooked flange 16 of female bar 11 as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. The corner or angle block 20 is'somewhat extended outwardl'y'and thickened as shown at 21 and has a'vertical rectangular opening. 23 as shown whi-lea' transverse or horizontal opening 2 1 1 intersects the vertical opening 23. Passed through the'transverse opening 24: is a chain 25. This chain may be prefer ably, although not necessarily, made of three, sections, a middle section 26 andtwo'end sections 27, and a (ill ring 19 of larger diameter than the opening 24 riveted through the chain at the junction of each end section 27 with the middle section 26 serving to maintain the middle section of the chain within the opening 24 and prevents the chain from being lost or separated from the bar 11. Rivets or pins are shown at 19.

Passing throu'gh'the vertical opening 23 is a clamping and locking tapered pin 28 formed with a substantially straight side 29 and an inclined side 30, thus forming a wedge. The lower point of the wedge is split, and after the pin has been dropped through opening 23, it being noted that its head is too large to pass therethrough, the split ends are separated at 31 until it is larger than the width of opening 23 thus retaining the pin 28 in the opening, but permitting it to have limited vertical motion. As shown in Fig. 4, the straight side 29 is placed nearer the inner side of angle 20, and the pin is placed between the chain passing through the intersecting horizontal opening 24 and the inner side of the angle so that as the pin passes downwardly, its inclined sideBO forces the chain outwardly of the angle. 1 This inclined edge is also provided with shallow notches or rests 35 so that the wedge will not slip 011 the chain in locked or clamped position and it will not be forced upwardly by the pull of the chain, but will be retained in holding position. Also the smaller end is flattened on its opposite sides at 36 so that the wedge can not turn in the opening 23 and so is always in the proper position.

In operation, the wooden board form 10 is built in the usual manner, and a light strip or support 32 is nailed thereabout at the point at which this clamp is to be placed, it being understood that any number of clamps may be used on each column as found necessary or desirable to hold it to proper shape. The male bars 12 are placed on opposite corners o1. form 10 on support 32, and then female bars 11 are placed on the other two corners so that r the hooked flanges 16' are under arms 22, as

in Fig. 6. Pins 28 are raised upwardly permitting the chains 25 to approach the inner side of angle 20, and a link of one end section 27 is caught in the eye or hook 18 of one female bar, and then the other end of the chain is drawn as far as it will go and a link is then caught in hook 18 of the other female bar, thus leaving but little slack in the chains and automatically adjusting the clamp according to the dimensions of the form. To tighten the chains, the pins 28 are hammered downwardly with a hammer or other weight. This will bring the wedge side 30 into contact with chain 25, forcing it outwardly of the angle and thus will draw the chain tight and clamp the angle members or bars tight about the form and hold it together and properly keep it to form while the concrete is being poured and is setting.

. Itwill be noted that eyes or hooks 18 are placed outwardly of the inner side of the clamp so that the pull of the chain is always such as to tend to draw the ends of the bars inwardly against the form 10 instead of away from it, thus properly clamping the clamp 1n place. To still further reduce the cost and to tighten the clamp without any sacrificeof strength, the female bars 11 may be cast with a series of holes 34 theretlirough, thus saving material. The clamping chains are formed of two different types of links. The twisted links of the central section 26 slide more easily through the angle block 20 than would chains like the end sections 27. However, the folded links of the end sections 27 have flat portions which easily fit in the notches of the hooks or lugs 18 and are effectively held therein.

After the concrete has hardened, the clamp can be easily loosened by a blow of a hammer on the bottom of one pin 28 to drive it up wardly. This loosens both chains 25 and permits the other clamping pin to be raised by hand. The chains may now be unhooked from the female bars and the clamps removed from the form and are ready for use on another form.

From the above description, it will be apparent that this invention provides a selfadjusting form clamp for use in constructing concrete columns, which clamp is simple and easy to assemble and disassemble with only the use of a hammer or weight, that this clamp being principally of unfinished malleable iroirmay be produced at a minimum cost, and may be used over and over indefinitely.

Having thus'set forth and disclosed, the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a clamp for'concrete forms, a pair of angle members to embrace opposite corners of a'form, an angle member embracing the intermediate corner and having arms in sliding engagement with those of the first angle members, clamping means adjustably connecting the second angle member with the first members, and means carried by the second angle member for tightening said clampmgmeans to clamp the members on the form.

2. In a clamp for concrete forms, a pair of angle members to embrace opposite corners of a form, an angle member embracing the ntermediate corner and having arms in slidmg engagement with those of the first angle members, a flexible chain passing transversely through the second angle member, means for connecting the chain with the arms of the first angle members, and a wedge on the sec ond angle member capable of reacting against this member and the chain to clamp the members against the form.

3. In a clamp for concrete forms, a pair of angle members to embrace diametrically opposite corners of a form, a pair of angle members to embrace the other corners of the form and having armsin sliding connection 'justably connecting the clamping members therewith, and means for tightening the clamping members to clamp the angle members on the form.

4. In a clamp for concrete forms,'a pair of angle members to embrace opposite corners of a form, an angle member embracing the intermediate corner and having arms in sliding engagement with those of the first angle members, a flexible chain passing through the second angle member, means for adjustably connecting the ends of the chain with the armsof the first angle members, and

means on the second angle member for tightening said chain to clamp the members to the lorm.

5. In a clamp for concrete forms, a pair of angle members to embrace opposite corners of a form, an angle member embracing the intermediate corner comprising a corner block having upright and transverse intersecting openings and arms in sliding engagement with those of the first angle members, a flexible chain passing through the transverse opening, means providing an adjustable connection between the chain and at least one of the first angle members, and a wedge in the upright opening between thechain and the block and capable of reacting between them to tighten the chain and clamp the mem bers against the form.

6. In a concrete form clamp, angle means to fit each corner of a form, arms projecting from each angle means, the arms of one angle means being slidably received by the arms of the adjacent angle means, flexible means projecting from one angle means, hooking means on the arms of the adjacent angle means and wedge means adapted to tighten said flexible means after it has been caught ay-the said hooking means.

nected to the arms of the female bars to adapt the clamp to fit forms of differing sizes, a'

chain slidably secured near its middle to each male bar at the angle, means on theends of each female bar, for the ends of the chain to be hooked, and means for tightening sald chain, said means being disposedlbetween said chain and the inside of the angle of the male bar whereby said bars will be clamped upon said form when said means isv actuated to, tighten the chain.

' 8. In a clamp of the class described, a plurality of male andfemale angular bars, each bar being adapted to bear upon two adjacent surfaces of a concrete form, the arms of. the 'male bars slidably fitting in the arms of the female bars, flexible retaining means loosely adapted to bear upon the sides of a polygonal concrete form, the arms of each bar being slidable in the arms of each adjacent bar to adapt the clamp to fit forms of difiering sizes, a chain loosely connected intermediate its ends to one bar of each pair at the outer side of its angle, hook means on the arms of the other bar of each pair to receive the ends of the chain and means for adjusting the tension in said chains disposed between said chains and the inner angle of the bars whereby said bar will be clamped upon said form when said chains are tightened.

10. A form clamp comprising a plurality of pairs of male and female angular bars, the

having a vertical opening bisecting its angle and a horizontal opening intersecting the vertical opening, a chain passing through said horizontal opening, the ends of said chain being adapted to be caught in the eyes in the female bars, a wedge pin in said vertical opening between the chain and the inner side of the bar angle, said pin wedging the chain outwardly to tighten the chain and secure the clamp in position.

11. In a form clamp comprising a plurality of angular bars, means to fasten and tighten the clamp comprising a chain passing through an opening in the corner of one of the angular bars, hook means on the adjacent angular bars to receive the chain, and a wedge passing through an intersecting opening in said c0rner, said wedge being placed between the chain and the inside of said corner.

CHARLES H. WEEMS. ALONZO MILTON.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. I 

